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“Mmmm,” I say, “good. Very good.”
He smiles and nods then opens the next package. He makes his way through one item at a time. It goes from sweet to savory as he works his way around the semi-circle of packages he’s laid out. Each one is, truly, delicious.
I don’t think I’ve had a meal that I actually enjoyed since before the crash. Afterward the pain has been too much to enjoy the act of chewing, leaving no attention left for details such as flavor or enjoyment.
We reach the halfway point of his presentation, judging by the packages left when he pauses. He looks from the next package to me then rolls his shoulders.
“Kai,” he says. “Question.”
“Question?” I ask.
“Yes. Please. How?” he points at his own face on the side where my own is ruined.
My stomach clenches, the beauty of the moment intruded on by the reminder of how ugly I am, but how can I not relay the tale to him? Has he not earned as much?
My legs are tingling with discomfort so I switch up my position before answering. Once I’m settled I sigh, hang my head, and begin.
It’s not a long story, though I’m not sure how much of it he understands with his limited grasp of Common. I need to keep my words simple. Hmm.
“Ship crashed,” I say pointing up at the sky and then down at the wreckage behind us. He nods understanding, so far so good. “I was an engineer. When crashing, I was… trapped. Accident. Face pressed to hot metal. Now I'm ugly.”
The memory is too real. Too heavy. I try not to look at it while relaying the brief version.
“Kai, you beautiful,” he says.
I recoil as if he slapped me. It shocks me so much I look up and my hair falls aside to reveal my disfigurement in all its horrible glory. He doesn’t react. No recoil. No dawning horror, revulsion, or anything of the like.
Then he does the completely unexpected. He leans in quick, and then his lips are on mine.
11
KAI
Instinctively my entire body stiffens. I pull back, breaking the kiss, but only a finger's width of distance. My body feels alive. Tingling sensations race from my lips and out through all my limbs. His lips were soft, delicious, and insistent. They stole my breath, leaving me gasping. Leaving me wanting more.
“Kai,” he whispers and I don’t need his words to hear the apology that is coming.
I cut him off, pressing my lips back to his.
It’s electric. Overwhelming. Incredible. Our lips move together as we tilt our heads to better meet. His mouth tastes exotic and incredible. He is demanding, yet gentle. Needful, yet thoughtful. I have never been kissed like this. It is as if kissing is an entirely new experience. One I’ve never had before.
I raise my hand and it trembles but I don’t let that stop me. I touch his cheek. The scales are smooth and cool to the touch, absorbing my warmth as if his skin itself is drinking me in. I press my hand closer and he moans into our ongoing kiss.
My lungs are burning. I cannot get enough air through my nose, but I don’t want this to stop. I want his touch. For the first time since we crashed, I want, no I need. I need him this close. Closer even. I need contact with another being on a level so deep and so primal that it’s like an inferno burning in my soul.
I push it as far as I possibly can but at last, I must breathe. I pull back just a little and we rest our foreheads together. I like the rough feel of his horns pressing down onto my hairline. This close I feel the spirals that rise from his head to the points.
“Provyd,” I say, and suddenly tears are pressing hard against the backs of my eyes.
My throat clenches as I blink fast trying to hold back the waterworks. There is no reason for it, but there they are, ready to let go. He seems to understand. How I have no idea, but he wraps one arm around my shoulders and pulls until I turn into him and I’m resting against his chest inside his protective arms. As if I’ve found a new country, a place of safety that I know I can retreat to and the world outside will never again hurt me.
Still, I try to hold it back. The emotions that surge though will not be denied. All the pain and more the lonely hopelessness of the past year converge into a perfect storm. I stand strong as long as I can but there is no withstanding this. It crashes against me over and over and then I break. The tears flow free.
12
PROVYD
Idon’t need her kiss to know. I knew the moment she quite literally fell into my arms. I didn’t need to see her face or anything else. The way she fit into my arms, the electric jolt, the instant connection and I knew. She is the one. My one. My treasure.
